Optical plug having a removable and replaceable nosepiece and a complimentary receptacle

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are optical plugs and optical connectors for making optical connections. The optical plugs and optical connectors disclosed have a nosepiece that is easily removed and replaced for allowing access to the optical interface for cleaning and the nosepiece may also protect the optical interface when installed. The nosepiece may be a single component or an assembly as desired. The devices disclosed may be hybrid devices providing both optical and electrical connectivity or they may solely have optical connectivity if desired.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.14/938,938, filed on Nov. 12, 2015, which is a continuation ofInternational Application No. PCT/US14/37956, filed on May 14, 2014,which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Application No. 61/823,985,filed on May 16, 2013, the content of which is relied upon andincorporated herein by reference in entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure is directed to optical connections for use in electronicdevices. More specifically, the disclosure is directed to opticalconnectors such as optical plug connectors having a removable andreplaceable nosepiece for allowing access to the optical interface forcleaning.

BACKGROUND

As electronic devices move toward operation at faster data rates theelectrical interfaces on these devices along with the electricaltransmission cables will reach their bandwidth capacity limitations.Additionally, the electronic devices are trending to smaller and thinnerfootprints. Optical fibers have displaced copper-based connectivity inmuch of the traditional long-haul and metro telecommunication networksfor numerous reasons such as large bandwidth capacity, dielectriccharacteristics and the like. As consumers require more bandwidth forconsumer electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops, tablets andthe like optical fibers and optical ports for optical signaltransmission are being considered for replacing the conventionalcopper-based connectivity for these applications. However, there aresignificant challenges for providing optical connectivity in consumerdevices compared with copper-based connectivity. By way of example,devices such as smart phones, laptops and tablets are exposed to roughhandling and harsh environments and the consumer will expect opticalconnectivity to handle these demanding conditions. Further, these typesof devices will require a large number of mating/unmating cycles duringtheir lifetime. Consequently, optical connections for consumerapplication will need to be easy to clean and maintain by the user.

There is an unresolved need for optical connections that may be used forrelatively small devices like typical consumer applications suchpersonnel devices such as smart phones, tablets and other consumerdevices that have a relatively small footprint. The concepts disclosedherein solve this unresolved need for optical connections.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is directed to an optical plug connector having anoptical portion with an optical interface and a nosepiece that fitsabout part of the optical portion. The nosepiece is removable andreplaceable from the optical portion for accessing the opticalinterface. The nosepiece may be a single component or an assembly asdesired. In one embodiment the plug includes both optical and electricalconnectivity, but may only include optical connectivity if desired.

Other embodiments are directed to an optical plug connector having anoptical portion with an inner body and an optical body having an opticalinterface, where the inner body has a passageway for receiving theoptical body. The optical plug connector also has a nosepiece that fitsabout part of the optical portion, wherein the nosepiece is removableand replaceable from the optical portion for accessing the opticalinterface. The inner housing may be a separate component or may beintegrated to another component such as integrally formed with a part ofthe housing.

The disclosure is also directed to a complimentary receptacle for theoptical plug connector. In one embodiment, an optical receptacleincludes a shell and a lens body. The lens body has an optical interfacewith one or more optical channels, wherein the lens body attaches to theshell. The receptacle may include a circuit board assembly attached tothe lens body. The circuit board assembly may include one or more activecomponents. Additionally, the circuit board assembly may have a tetherwith an electrical connection for providing quick attachment of thereceptacle to a circuit board of an electronic device.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing thesame as described herein, including the detailed description thatfollows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description present embodiments that are intendedto provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature andcharacter of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included toprovide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporatedinto and constitute a part of this specification. The drawingsillustrate various embodiments and together with the description serveto explain the principles and operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first explanatory opticalplug connector having a removable and replaceable nosepiece foraccessing an optical interface of the connector;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a cable assembly having anotherexplanatory optical plug connector with a removable nosepiece and anelectronic device having a complimentary receptacle according theconcepts disclosed herein;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the cable assembly and receptacleof FIGS. 2 and 3 with the receptacle removed from the electronic device;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are top and bottom front perspective views of the opticalplug connector of the cable assembly of FIG. 2-5 having the nosepieceremoved from the optical portion of the optical plug connector forproviding access to the optical interface;

FIG. 8 is an exploded bottom view of the optical plug connector of FIGS.2-7 showing the nosepiece and optical portion;

FIG. 9 is an exploded top view of the optical portion of the opticalplug connector of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the inner body of the optical plugconnector of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the housing of the optical plugconnector of FIGS. 2-7;

FIG. 12 is an exploded top view of the nosepiece of the optical plugconnector of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the grip of the nosepiece of theoptical plug connector of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view of the explanatory receptacle of FIGS. 4 and 5 withthe receptacle separated from the circuit board;

FIG. 15 is a bottom front perspective view of the receptacle removedfrom the circuit board;

FIG. 16 is a bottom rear perspective view of the receptacle removed fromthe circuit board;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are a partially exploded perspective views respectivelyfrom the front and rear side of the receptacle;

FIGS. 19 and 20 are respective top and bottom perspective views of acable assembly having another explanatory optical plug connector with aremovable nosepiece;

FIG. 21 is a top front perspective views of the optical plug connectorof the cable assembly of FIGS. 19 and 20 having the nosepiece removedfrom the optical portion of the optical plug connector for providingaccess to the optical interface;

FIG. 22 is an exploded bottom view of the optical plug connector ofFIGS. 19-21 showing the nosepiece and optical portion;

FIGS. 23 and 24 are respective top and bottom perspective views of yetanother explanatory optical plug connector with a removable nosepieceand a complimentary receptacle attached to a circuit board of anelectronic device in an unmated condition according the conceptsdisclosed herein;

FIGS. 25 and 26 are respective top and bottom perspective views of theoptical plug connector and the complimentary receptacle of FIGS. 23 and24 in a mated condition;

FIGS. 27 and 28 are respective top and bottom front perspective views ofthe optical plug connector of FIGS. 23-26 having the nosepiece removedfrom the optical portion of the optical plug connector for providingaccess to the optical interface;

FIG. 29 is an exploded top view of the optical plug connector of FIGS.23-28 showing the nosepiece and optical portion;

FIG. 30 is an exploded top view of the optical portion of the opticalplug connector of FIG. 29;

FIGS. 31 and 32 are a detailed exploded view and assembled view of partof the optical portion of the optical plug connector of FIG. 30 to showconstruction details;

FIG. 33 is an exploded top view of the nosepiece of the optical plugconnector of FIG. 29;

FIGS. 34 and 35 are cross-sectional views of the optical plug connectortaken respectively along section lines 34-34 and 35-35 of FIGS. 23 withthe nosepiece attached to the optical portion;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing the electrical contacts of theoptical plug connector and receptacle in a mated state with the othercomponents removed for clarity; and

FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of the force centering alignmentfeatures of FIGS. 31 and 32 along with the optical interface.

FIGS. 38-40 are various perspective views of the optical plug connectoror the receptacle showing explanatory dimensions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of thedisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used torefer to like components or parts.

The optical connections disclosed herein enable high-speed dataapplications for transmitting optical signals to electronic devices suchas speeds of 5 Gigabits/sec or greater along with having a relativelysmall and compact footprints so that they are useful for use withelectronic devices such as consumer devices and the like. The conceptsinclude an optical plug connector having a removable and replaceablenosepiece and a complimentary optical receptacle that can receive theoptical plug connector. The optical receptacle may be a portion of anelectronic device so it can receive and transmit optical signals. Aremovable and replaceable nosepiece means that the nosepiece can beremoved from a fully-assembled device such as an optical plug connectorand replaced. By way of example, the nosepiece may be removed withoutdisassembly of the device. Further, the concepts of the opticalconnections may be used in other application such as optical backplanes,switches, routers and other equipment. In order to transmit/receiveoptical signals, the optical plug connector or optical receptacle mayinclude one or more optical channels for that may include one or morelenses or not as desired. By way of example, the one or more lenses ofthe optical plug connector such as gradient index (GRIN) lenses are usedfor collimating or focusing the light from the transmission channel(s)of the plug and are optically coupled to a complementary lenses of theoptical receptacle such as molded lenses that direct the optical signalto an active element such as a photodiode or the like. The receivechannels of the optical plug connector obtains its signals from anactive element such as a laser like a vertical-cavity surface-emittinglaser (VCSEL) in communication with the molded lens of the opticalreceptacle for transmission of the optical signals to the GRIN lens ofthe optical plug connector when the optical plug connector and opticalreceptacle are mated together. The optical plug connector and opticalreceptacle according to the concepts disclosed provide easy connectivitywith a footprint that is advantageous for use with electronic deviceshaving thin and compact profiles. Further, the concepts provide a simpleoptical plug assembly that provides access to an optical interface foreasy cleaning for applications that are expected to experience largenumber of mating/unmating cycles such as consumer electronicapplications.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a cable assembly1 having a first explanatory optical plug connector 10 (hereinafter“plug”) with a nosepiece 12 that fits about part of an optical portion14 and is removable and replaceable from the optical portion 14 of theoptical plug connector 10. The plug 10 is attached to cable 5, therebyforming cable assembly 1. The cable assembly may use any suitable cable5 attached to the plug. Although, the cable 5 and plug 10 are shownhaving a straight through alignment for simplicity, the plug may haveany suitable angle with respect to the cable such as 45, 60 or 90degrees, but still other angles are possible. The nosepiece 10 isremovable and replaceable from the optical portion 14 of plug 10 asrepresented by the line with the arrows for accessing an opticalinterface 21 of the optical portion 14. Consequently, nosepiece 10 maybe removed so that the user may have access to inspect, wipe and/orclean the optical interface 21 of the plug 10 as desired, which isadvantageous for applications that anticipate a relatively large numberof mating/unmating cycles or environments that may be exposed to dirtand debris such as consumer devices. The plug may form a portion of theoptical connection that cooperates with an optical receptacle that is aportion of an electronic device such as a tablet, smart phone, displayor the like having a complimentary mating geometry. Further, the plugmay include a locking feature 8 for securing the nosepiece to theoptical portion for inhibiting unintended removal of the nosepiece fromthe optical portion. The locking feature may be a passive lockingfeature such as a friction fit and/or protrusion or it may be an activelocking feature such as a lever or slide for securing the nosepiece 12to the optical portion 14. Although, the nosepiece shown in thisembodiment is a single component, the concepts may be used withnosepieces arranged as an assembly.

The concepts of the plug disclosed herein may also be used with hybridconnections having both optical and electrical connections as desired.In other words, both the plug and receptacle have a complimentaryoptical and electrical interface. By way of example, FIGS. 2 and 3 areperspective views of a cable assembly 1′ having another explanatoryoptical plug connector 100 (hereinafter “plug”) with a nosepiece 110that fits about part of an optical portion 114 and is removable andreplaceable from an optical portion 114 of the plug 100 as representedin FIGS. 6 and 7. Plug 100 is useful for mating with a complimentaryoptical receptacle 200 (hereinafter “receptacle”) of an electronicdevice 2. Plug 100 is attached to cable 5 that also optionally includesone or more optical fibers 3 and electrical conductors 4, therebyforming cable assembly 1′ that may transmit power and/or electricalsignals. In this embodiment, the nosepiece 110 is an assembly asdiscussed herein and as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10.

FIG. 3 shows electronic device 2 having receptacle 200 that includes alens body 210 having an optical interface 221 with one or more opticalchannels (not numbered). As shown, the lens body 210 includes at leastone alignment feature 223 adjacent to the optical interface 221.Receptacle 200 may also optionally include one or more electricalcontacts 230 for transmitting electrical signals or power as desired. Inthis explanatory embodiment, lens body 210 includes alignment features223 configured as guide pin bores in the lens body 210 for receivingrespective guide pins of the plug for aligning respective opticalchannels; but other alignment features are possible using the conceptsdisclosed. For instance, alignment features could be one or moremagnetic elements such as magnets and/or ferrous materials or othersuitable structure as desired. Alignment features could also beprotrusions on the receptacle such as castellations or such for aligningthe plug to the receptacle; additionally, features such as the shelland/or electrical interface may also be used for providing coursealignment with fine alignment for the optical channels provided by otherfeatures.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are close-up perspective views showing a portion of thecable assembly 1′ with plug 100 aligned with receptacle 200 before beingmated. As shown, receptacle 200 is attached to a portion of a circuitboard 285, which is removed from the electronic device 2 forillustration purposes. During mating, the plug 100 is oriented with thereceptacle 200 so that the nosepiece 110 of plug 100 may be insertedinto shell 250 of receptacle 200, thereby allowing optical andelectrical connectivity. In other words, the optical interface 121 ofthe plug 100 is aligned with the optical interface 221 of the receptacle200 and electrical connections are made between one or more nosepieceelectrical contacts 102 of the plug 100 and the one or more electricalcontacts 230 of the receptacle 200.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict a portion of cable assembly 1′ with top and bottomfront perspective views of plug 100 having the nosepiece 110 removedfrom the optical portion 114 of plug 10 for providing access to theoptical interface 121. As represented by the line with the arrows, thenosepiece 110 fits about part of the optical portion 114 and isremovable and replaceable from the optical portion 114. As shown, thenosepiece 110 may optionally include grip 108 that cooperates with ahousing 160 of the optical portion 114. In this embodiment, grip 108includes one or more extensions 108 a that extend rearward from thenosepiece 110 and cooperate with the one or more respective recesses 166of housing 160. Extensions 108 a aid in guiding the nosepiece to fitabout the optical portion 114 of plug 100. Further, extensions 108 a mayinclude a first extension and a second extension have differentsize/shapes such as different widths that cooperate with differentsize/shapes such as different widths of first and second recesses 166.Consequently, the plug 100 may be configured so that the nosepiece 110only fits onto the optical portion 114 in the correct orientation oneorientation for assembly). The outer surface of a grip 108 may alsoinclude a textured surface (not numbered) such as ribs, depression orthe like so the user can easily and reliably grab the nosepiece 110 toremove and replace the same from the optical portion 114.

As shown, nosepiece 110 includes one or more nosepiece electricalcontacts 102 that are in electrical contact with the electrical contacts230 on the receptacle 230 when plug 100 is mated to receptacle 200.However, the nosepiece 110 and the optical portion 114 of plug 100include separate electrical contacts that are electrically disconnectedwhen the nosepiece 110 is removed from optical portion 114 of plug 100.Specifically, nosepiece 110 includes one or more nosepiece electricalcontacts 102 for being electrical connected to the one or more opticalportion electrical contacts 150 when the nosepiece 114 is attached tothe optical portion 114 of plug 110. Thus, the electrical connectionfrom the electrical conductors 4 of cable 5 is continued to the opticalportion electrical contacts 150 and then to the nosepiece electricalcontacts 102 When the nosepiece 110 is attached to the optical portion114. In this embodiment, the nosepiece electrical contacts 102 and theoptical portion electrical contacts 150 are wiping electrical contacts,but any other suitable electrical contacts are possible such as pin andsocket electrical contacts. As depicted, the one or more nosepieceelectrical contacts 102 are housed in one or more respective lobes 106 aof a shell 106 at a front end of the nosepiece 110. In this embodiment,lobes 106 a are arranged as first and second lobes disposed on oppositesides of a pocket 106 b of shell 106.

FIG. 8 is an exploded bottom view of plug 100 showing details ofnosepiece 110 and optical portion 114. FIG. 9 depicts an exploded topview of the optical portion 110 of plug 100 and FIG. 12 is an explodedtop view of the nosepiece 110 of plug 100. With continuing reference toFIGS. 8 and 9, optical portion 114 of plug 100 includes opticalinterface 121 as a portion of optical body 120, an inner body 130, aretainer 140, one or more optical portion electrical contacts 150, and ahousing 160. Optical interface 121 may have the optical fibers presentedat the interface or include one or more lenses 122 presented at theinterface as desired for creating the one or more optical channels ofthe plug 100. Plugs and receptacles may have any suitable number ofoptical channels arranged in any desired pattern such as a linear orround array of optical channels. In this plug embodiment, the opticalchannels are arranged in a 2-by-2 array. Optical body 120 also includesone or more alignment features 123 for registering (i.e., aligning) theoptical channels of the optical interface 121 of plug 100 with thecomplimentary optical channels of receptacle 200. In this embodiment,alignment features 123 are guide pins that are integrally formed (i.e.,molded) with optical body 120 and cooperate with alignment features 223of receptacle 200 when mated together. The alignment features 123 mayhave other configurations such as being non-round or discrete componentsas desired. For instance, the alignment features 123 may include one ormore magnets such as correlated magnetics having a prearranged patternof poles (magnetic north and magnetic south regions) for cooperatingwith a complimentary correlated magnet on the receptacle.

The one or more lenses 122 may be integrally formed in the opticalinterface 121 or arranged as one or more discrete lenses as desired. Forinstance, optical body 120 may be formed from an optically transmissivematerial with lenses integrally formed at the optical interface 121 withbores in optical body 120 leading to the respective lenses so thatoptical fibers may be received therein. Alternatively, the optical fiberbores 120 b of optical body 120 may extend to the front side of theoptical body 120 for receiving the one or more lenses 122 therein. Byway of example, the discrete lenses may be configured as gradient index(GRIN) lenses that fit into the respective bores of the optical body.Additionally, an index-matching gel may be used between the ends of therespective optical fibers inserted into the optical body 120 and the oneor more lenses for aiding optical performance by bridging any gapbetween the components.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the inner body 130 of plug 100. Innerbody 130 includes a passageway 131 that extends from a front end 135 toa rear end 137 and is sized for receiving a portion of optical body 120.The optical interface 121 which is a portion of optical body 120 isreceived in the passageway 131 of inner body 130. The optical interface121 is accessible at the front end of the inner body 130 when theoptical portion 114 is assembled so that when the nosepiece 110 isremoved from the optical portion 114 the user has access to the opticalinterface 121. Optical body 120 may include a stepped portion (notnumbered) for limiting the forward travel of the optical body 120 intothe passageway 131. After the optical body 120 is inserted into theinner body 130 it any suitable manner. For instance, optical body 120may be secured by a snap-fit such as resilient members formed either theoptical body or the inner body 130. In this embodiment, inner body 130includes one or more slots 132 for receiving a retainer 140 to securethe optical body 120 in passageway 131. Retainer 140 may be any suitablecomponent such as a clip, spring, washer, pin, etc.; however in thisembodiment retainer 140 is a wave spring. Consequently, the optical body120 is able to move within the passageway 131 of the inner body 130. Inother words, the retainer 140 biases the optical body forward and allowsthe optical body 120 to move a short distance to the rearward duringmating as necessary.

Inner body may also include one or more surfaces 133. As shown, surfaces133 are disposed outward of passageway 131 and provide a support surfacefor optical portion electrical contacts 150. The optical portionelectrical contacts 150 may be attached to inner body 130 in anysuitable manner. For instance, inner body 130 may be formed such asmolded with the optical portion electrical contacts 150 attached duringthe molding process. Other variations include using an adhesive orsnap-fitting the optical portion electrical contacts 150 to the innerbody 130. When assembled, the optical portion electrical contacts 150are electrically connected to electrical conductors 4 of cable 5. Innerbody 130 also includes one or more mounting features 134 such as notchesor openings for placing and securing it within the housing 160.

FIG. 11 is a close-up perspective view of the housing 160 of plug 100.In this embodiment, housing 160 is formed from two similar pieces,namely, a first shell 160 a and a second shell 160 b that fit together.The first and second shells 160 a, 160 b include respective openings 161shaped as a half-pipe for forming a passageway into the housing 160 forthe receiving the cable 5. The shells 160 a, 160 b also includerespective cradles 162 for securing the deformed crimp band 7 andrespective tabs 163 and 165 that allow the two shells 160 a, 160 b tosnap-fit together.

When assembled, the inner body assembly (not numbered) fits into thehousing 160 so that a portion of the inner body 130 extends forward pastthe housing 160 as best shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, the opticalinterface 121 and a portion of the optical portion electrical contacts150 are exposed at the front end of the optical portion 114. Cable 5 isattached to the inner body assembly by first threading crimp band 7(which is shown in the FIGS. in the deformed state) onto cable 5. Then,the optical fibers 3 of cable 5 are attached to the optical body 120 andelectrical conductors 4 attached to the optical portion electricalcontacts 150. The crimp band 7 can then be crimped deformed such asshown at the appropriate location on cable 5 such as represented bynecked down portion 9 (which represents the shape of the cable after thecrimp band 7 is secured thereto) of cable 5 for securing the opticalfibers 3 and electrical conductors 4 relative to the cable jacket andinhibit pistoning of the same. If desired, a filling material such as anadhesive, silicone, a sleeve, an insert or the like may be injected orplaced into the passageway of the cable for protecting the opticalfibers. When assembled, the deformed crimp band 7 is placed into cradle162 of housing 160 for providing strain relief for the cable assemblyand the mounting features 134 of the inner body 130 are received by theguide features 164 of the first and second shells 160 a, 160 b ofhousing 160. Thereafter, the first and second shells 160 a, 160 b ofhousing 160 can be assembled about the inner body assembly.

As best depicted in FIG. 12, nosepiece 110 is an assembly having one ormore nosepiece electrical contacts 102, one or more rails 104, shell 106and grip 108. When assembled, nosepiece electrical contacts 102 fit intorespective guides 104 a of the rail 104 to form a rail assembly. Therail assembly that includes the rail and the electrical contact fit intoand attach to a respective lobe 106 a of shell 106. In this embodiment,the rails 104 are generally flush with the front end of shell 106, butother arrangements are possible. The rail(s) 104 may be attached to thelobes 106 a of shell 106 in any suitable manner such as with tabs,protrusions, adhesive, or a friction fit. In this embodiment, thenosepiece 110 includes first and second rails 104 each having arespective nosepiece electrical contact 102 that are attached to therespective guides 104 a. As best shown in FIG. 8, the rails 104 have acutout 104 b at the rear that includes a planar surface for providingaccess to nosepiece electrical contacts 102 so that they canelectrically connect to optical portion electrical contacts 150 when thenosepiece 110 is attached to the optical portion 114. As depicted, thelobes 106 a of shell 106 are disposed on opposite sides of a pocket 106b. Pocket 106 b allows the shell 106 and nosepiece 110 to fit aboutinner body 130 when the nosepiece 110 is attached to the optical portion114. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of grip 108 of the nosepiece 110showing a passageway 108 b along with retention features 108 c disposedin the passageway. Retention features 108 e are configured as aplurality of protrusions that cooperate with complimentary retentionfeatures 106 c located on shell 106. Retention features 106 c areconfigured as openings, but other methods are possible. By way ofexample, grip 108 may be molded about shell 106 or an adhesive may beused for securing the same, instead of a snap-fit. When assembled, aportion of shell 106 extends beyond the grip 108 so that it can engagethe receptacle 200.

FIG. 14 is a view of the explanatory receptacle 200 with it separatedfrom the circuit board 285 and FIGS. 15 and 16 respectively are a bottomfront and bottom rear perspective views of the receptacle 200 removedfrom the circuit board 285 of the electronic device. As shown, circuitboard 285 includes an electrical interface 287 and one or moreintegrated circuits 290 for processing signals along with othercomponents as desired for the electronic device (other structure andcomponents on the circuit board are removed for clarity purposes). Asshown in FIGS. 15 and 16, receptacle 200 may include a receptaclecircuit board assembly 240 attached to the lens body 210. When theelectronic device is assembled, the receptacle circuit board assembly240 is electrically attached to circuit board 285 for communicatingsignals between the receptacle 200 and the circuit board 285. Forinstance, receptacle 200 is configured with a flexible tether havingpluggable electrical attachment to circuit board 285. Specifically,circuit board 285 includes an electrical connector 287 for cooperatingwith a complementary electrical connector 246 of the receptacle circuitboard assembly 240 for easily making the appropriate electricalconnections between the circuit board 285 and the receptacle circuitboard assembly 240. Of course, other electrical connectivity may be usedwith the concepts disclosed.

Receptacle circuit board assembly 240 is used for converting the opticalsignals to electrical signals and vice versa and may have any suitablearrangement or layout. Receptacle circuit board assembly 240 includes atleast one active component 241 aligned with at least one optical channelof the optical body when properly aligned and attached to lens body 210.As shown, receptacle circuit board assembly is attached to the lens body210 and spaced at a suitable distance from the lenses using ledges 210a, which provide the desired z-direction distance between the activecomponent 241 and the lens body 210. The receptacle circuit boardassembly 240 may use a passive and/or active alignment for positioningthe receptacle circuit board assembly 240 in the X-direction andY-direction. Active component 241 is an electro-optical component usedfor transmitting or receiving optical signals to/from the opticalchannels of the lens body 210. By way of example, active component 241is a photodiode or other similar device for receiving optical signals ora vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) for transmittingoptical signals, thereby providing one or more transmit and receivechannels. Additionally, receptacle circuit board assembly 240 mayinclude further electronic components TIAs or laser drivers arranged asa first circuit portion 243 and/or a second circuit portion 245 forprocessing signals and other electronics such as integrated circuits(ICs) like clock and data recovery (CDR), laser driversserializer/deserializer (SerDes), and the like on the circuit board 285.

FIG. 16 is a perspective bottom rear view of receptacle 200 showing thereceptacle circuit board assembly 240 operably attached to the lens body210 so that at least one active component 241 is aligned with the atleast one optical channel such as lens 221 a. In this embodiment, thereceptacle circuit board assembly 240 includes a circuit board 247having electronics such as the active components 241 and other circuitrysuch as first circuit portion 243 mounted thereon. The active components241 of receptacle circuit board assembly 240 aligned with the at leastone optical channel of lens body 210 when attached to the lens body 210.In this embodiment, circuit board 247 of receptacle circuit boardassembly 240 is operably attached to the ledge(s) 210 a at the rear sideof the lens body 210. In this instance, an adhesive is used for securingcircuit board 247 to ledge(s) 210 a, but any suitable attachment methodis possible. In this embodiment, the optical channels include respectivelenses 221 a at the rear side of the optical body 210 for focusing orcollimating the optical signals to/from the active components 243.“Operably attached” means that the active components 243 of thereceptacle circuit board assembly 240 are properly spaced from theoptical channels of the lens body (z-direction) such as the lenses ofthe optical body 210 for maintaining the desired distance between theactive components 243 and the optical channels and suitable aligned inthe x-direction and y-direction for providing the desired level ofoptical coupling.

Further, receptacle circuit board assembly 240 may use a flexiblesubstrate 244 for making electrical connections between the circuitboard 247 having a first circuit portion 243 and/or a second circuitportion 245 and the circuit board 285 of the electronic device. In otherwords, the flexible substrate 244 allows an electrical turn so that thefirst and second circuit portions 243,245 of the circuit having theactive components (e.g., photodiodes and VCSELs), transimpedenceamplifier (TIA), and the laser drivers are electrically connected to theother integrated circuits on the circuit board 285. In this embodiment,circuit board 247 is formed from a first portion 247 a and a secondportion 247 b and sandwich part of the flexible substrate 244 betweenthe first portion 247 a and the second portion 247 b. Specifically, theelectrical connection between the electrical conductors of the flexiblesubstrate 244 and the electrical components on circuit board 247 aremade between the first and second portions 247 a, 247 b of circuit board247.

Splitting the electronics between the receptacle circuit board assembly240 that is attached to the lens body 210 and other components on thecircuit board 285 such as the clock and data recovery (CDR) IC andSerdes IC allow for smaller receptacle footprints and keep the specificelectrical traces to/from the active components 243 such as the TIA orlaser drive to short lengths such as 200 microns or less and theelectrical traces may even be about 100 microns or less. Specifically,the flexible substrate 244 provides an electrical turn with flexcoupling between the receptacle circuit board assembly 240 and circuitboard 285, thereby allowing relatively small form-factors for theoptical connector since the CDR and Serdes IC's are relatively large andare located on another circuit portion such as the electronic devicecircuit board that can be orientated in different manner such as ahorizontal plane where there is more space available.

Receptacle circuit board assembly 240 may also include otheradvantageous arrangements when having optical connectors with more thanone transmit and one receive channel. For instance, the receptaclecircuit board assembly 240 may use separate TIAs and/or laser drivers onthe first circuit portion 243 and the second circuit portion 245 of thereceptacle circuit board assembly 240 (i.e., several TIAs or laserdrivers for different optical channels). By way of example, receptacle200 has multiple optical channels arranged in a 2×2 array. Consequently,the first circuit portion 243 with the TIAs and laser drivers can now besplit (i.e., multiple TIAs and laser drivers) with a dedicated TIA andlaser driver placed onto each side of the plurality of optical channelsthat are arranged in an two-by-two array. In this embodiment, receptaclecircuit board assembly 240 uses multiple TIA/laser driver arrangement(i.e., one TIA/laser driver for each side of the 2×2 array; oneTIA/laser driver for the left side 243 and one TIA/laser driver for theright side 245) for enabling a relatively small height H for thereceptacle 200, thereby allowing use of the optical connector in thindevices such as smart phones, tablets and the like. Further, placingelectrical components such as the TIA and laser drivers relatively closeto the active components such as photodiodes and VCSELs allowsrelatively short wire bond lengths such as 100 microns or shorter forsupporting high-speed data transfer rates such as 10 Gb/sec or more andeven up to 20 Gb/sec and higher.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are partially exploded perspective views from the frontand rear side of the receptacle 200, respectively. As shown, receptacle200 includes lens body 210 having an optical interface 221 with one ormore optical channels and a shell 250. When assembled, the lens body 210attaches to shell 250. The lens body 210 may have an optional cover 220attached thereto for protecting the optical interface 221. In otherwords, the cover 220 may cover the lenses that form the opticalchannels. Cover 220 may be formed from any suitable material such asglass or a polymer. For instance, the glass cover may be made from achemically strengthened glass. The cover 220 may further include acoating such as an anti-reflective (AR) coating or a scratch-resistantcoating.

In this embodiment, lens body 210 has a portion with a U-shape, but thelens body may have other suitable shapes or configurations. As shown,the lens body 210 has one or more attachment flanges 211 for attachingit to shell 250 that generally extend from the U-shaped portion. Asshown, the attachment flanges 211 may include one or more notches 211 afor allowing a friction-fit or snap-fit with one or more respectivecut-outs 252 of shell 250. Receptacle 200 also includes one or moreelectrical contacts 230 and lens body 210 includes one or more rails 210c formed therein. Rails 210 c are used as a support surfaces for therespective electrical contacts 230. Electrical contacts 230 may beintegrally molded into the lens body 210 or be configured to slide intoa respective slot 213 from a rear end of the lens body 210. As depicted,electrical contacts 230 have a generally planar surface for electricalconnection to the electrical contacts 102 of the nosepiece 110. Theother end of electrical contacts 230 have a bend with a lead (notnumbered) for making an electrical connection with circuit board 285.

Other variations of the plug and/or receptacle are possible according tothe concepts disclosed. By way of example, FIGS. 19-22 depicted anothercable assembly 1″ having another plug 100′ with a nosepiece 110′. Plug100′ is similar to plug 100 having nosepiece 110 as shown in FIGS. 19and 20, except that the plug 100′ has a simplified nosepiece 110′ thatdoes not include electrical contacts in the nosepiece. Instead, theelectrical contacts 150 are extended from the optical portion 114′ ofplug 100′ into the nosepiece 110′. As best shown in FIG. 21, inner body130′ of plug 100′ has a slightly different construction than inner body130 of plug 100. Specifically, inner body 130′ has one or more longersurfaces 133′ that extend outward on one or more rails 139 of inner body130′ compared with surfaces 133 of inner body 130 that are shorter.Simply stated, rails 139 and associated optical portion electricalcontacts 150 extend to the front end and are received in nosepiece 110′when installed on the optical portion 114′. Consequently, nosepiece 110′is simplified and has fewer parts. Even though rails 139 extend outwardon the outboard sides of the inner body 130 of plug 100′ access is stillprovided to the optical interface when the nosepiece 110′ is removed.FIG. 22 is an exploded view of plug 100′ showing the various components.Although, nosepiece 110′ is shown with a shell 106′ and a grip 108′, thegrip may be omitted and the nosepiece may just be the shell.

Still other designs for the plug or receptacle are possible according tothe concepts disclosed. By way of example, FIGS. 23-39 are other variousviews of yet another explanatory plug 300 and a receptacle 400 orcomponents thereof according to the concepts disclosed. Generallyspeaking, plug 300 and complimentary receptacle 400 are similar to theplug 100 and receptacle 200 and differences and distinctions of plug 300and receptacle 400 will be discussed as appropriate.

FIGS. 23 and 24 are respective top and bottom perspective views of plug300 having a removable nosepiece and a complimentary receptacle 400suitable for attach to circuit board 285 of an electronic device in anunmated state. FIGS. 25 and 26 are respective top and bottom perspectiveviews of the plug 300 and receptacle 400 in a mated condition. Asdepicted in FIGS. 27 and 28, plug 300 has a nosepiece 310 that fitsabout part of an optical portion 314 and is removable and replaceablefrom the optical portion 314 of the plug 300. Consequently, nosepiece310 may be removed so that the user may have access to inspect, wipeand/or clean the optical interface 321 of the plug 300 as desired. Plug300 may be attached to a suitable cable thereby forming cable assemblyas discussed herein. In this embodiment, a shell 306 of plug 300 extendsbeyond a housing 360 for insertion into receptacle 400 and has a steppedprofile with two different heights.

Specifically, shell 306 has a front portion 306 a with a first height inthe y-direction and a rear portion 306 b with a second height in they-direction, where the second height of the rear portion 306 b isgreater than the first height of the front portion 306 a. On thereceptacle 400, the shell 450 only has annular construction at a forwardportion as shown in FIG. 23. When the plug 300 and receptacle 400 aremated, the front portion 306 a of shell 306 extends into the receptacle400 and past the annular construction at the forward portion of shell450 and the rear portion 306 b of shell extending from the housing 360of plug 300 is seated in the annular construction at the forward portionof shell 450 as best shown in FIG. 25. Consequently, the front portion306 a of plug 300 inside the receptacle does not require as muchheadroom inside the electronic device since the profile is stepped downand the rear portion 306 b snuggly fits and fills the annularconstruction at the forward portion of shell 450 for providing a solidfit and mechanical retention. Additionally, the stepped profile of theshell 306 provides a simple orientation feature for the user to orientthe plug 300 relative to the receptacle 400 during mating.

FIG. 29 is an exploded top view of the optical plug connector 300showing the nosepiece 310 and optical portion 314. Optical portion 314includes optical interface 121 as a portion of optical body 320, a forcecentering element 340, a resilient member 351, a retainer 360, one ormore optical portion electrical contacts 350, and a housing 380. Opticalinterface 121 may have the optical fibers presented at the interface orinclude one or more lenses 122 presented at the interface as desired forcreating the one or more optical channels of the plug 300 as discussedherein. Plug 300 has the optical channels are arranged in a linear arrayof eight channels, but any suitable number of channels or orientation ispossible. Optical body 320 also includes one or more alignment features123 for registering (i.e., aligning) the optical channels of the opticalinterface 121 of plug 300 with the complimentary optical channels ofreceptacle 400. In this embodiment, alignment features 123 are guidepins that are integrally formed (i.e., molded) with optical body 320 andcooperate with alignment features 223 of receptacle 400 when matedtogether. The alignment features 123 may have other configurations suchas being non-round or discrete components as desired.

The one or more lenses 122 may be integrally formed in the opticalinterface 121 or arranged as one or more discrete lenses as desired. Forinstance, optical body 320 may be formed from an optically transmissivematerial with lenses integrally formed at the optical interface 121 withbores in optical body 320 leading to the respective lenses so thatoptical fibers may be received therein. Alternatively, the optical fiberbores (not visible) of optical body 320 may extend to the front side ofthe optical body 320 for receiving the one or more lenses 122 therein.By way of example, the discrete lenses may be configured as gradientindex (GRIN) lenses that fit into the respective bores of the opticalbody.

Plug 300 also has other components/constructions not used in the otherembodiments for providing a force centering alignment of the opticalinterface 121 during mating. Illustratively, FIG. 30 is an exploded topview of the optical portion 314 of plug 100 and shows the forcecentering alignment structure. FIGS. 31 and 32 are a detailed explodedview and an assembled view showing the centering alignment structureremoved from the optical portion 314 of plug 300.

Housing 380 of plug 300 has a different construction than e other plughousings described. Although, housing 380 includes a first portion 380 aand a second portion 380 b, the first portion 380 a includes an innerbody (not numbered) having a block-like structure having a passageway381 that extends from a front end to a medial portion of the block-likestructure and is sized for receiving a portion of optical body 320 alongwith force centering element 340 and resilient member 351. In otherwords, the inner body of this embodiment is formed as part of (i.e.integrated with) the housing to eliminate the part count. The opticalinterface 121 which is a portion of optical body 320 is received in thepassageway 381 and extends so it is accessible at the front of housing380. As shown, the optical body 320 may also include a flange (notnumbered) that acts as a forward stop for optical body 320 when it isinstalled into the passageway 381. In this embodiment, optical body 320includes a pivot point 325 and is bias forward by a resilient member 351when assembled with force centering element 340, resilient member 351and retainer 360 attached to the inner body (not numbered) of housing380.

More specifically, force centering element 340 includes a passageway 348therethrough for receiving a rear portion 328 of optical body 320 at thefront end and routing the optical fibers from the cable through the rearend. The passageway 348 is sized so that rear portion 328 of opticalbody 340 may pivot through a desired angular range within forcecentering element. Force centering element 340 also includes a pivotpoint configured as a saddle 345 at the front end that receives andcooperates with the pivot point 325 of optical body 320 when assembledas best shown in FIG. 32. Consequently, optical body 320 may pivotwithin the saddle 345 during engagement with the complementary opticalinterface of receptacle 400. Force centering element 340 also include abarrel 346 at the rear end for seating within the resilient member 351as shown in FIG. 32.

As best shown in FIG. 31, retainer 360 includes a front end passage 361that leads into a pass-through 363 that connects to cradle 369 near therear end of the retainer 360. Cradle 369 is used for receiving the crimpband 7 attached to the cable at the rear end. Front end passage 361 mayreceive resilient member 351 and may have a suitable shape. Whenassembled, the resilient member 351 is received in the front end passage361 and the barrel 346 of force centering element 340 fits into theresilient member as shown in FIG. 32. In this embodiment, retainer 360also includes retention features 365 for attaching/securing the forcecentering components within the inner body (not numbered) of the housing360. In this embodiment, retention features 365 are configured asresilient arms that engage and attach with the housing 380.Specifically, the retention features 365 are received in complimentaryretention features 385 on housing 380. More specifically, the latches(not numbered) on resilient arms of the force centering element 340 arereceived in retention features 385 such as the windows shown in thisembodiment, but other suitable retention features are possible.

FIG. 33 is an exploded top view of the nosepiece 310 of plug 300 that issimilar to nosepiece 110. Nosepiece 310 is an assembly having one ormore nosepiece electrical contacts 302, one or more rails 304, shell 306and grip 308. When assembled, nosepiece electrical contacts 102 fit intorespective guides 304 a of the rail 304 to form a rail assembly. Therail assembly that includes the rail and the electrical contact fit intoand attach to a respective lobe 306 a of shell 306. In this embodiment,the rails 304 are generally flush with the front end of shell 306, butother arrangements are possible. The rail(s) 304 may be attached to thelobes 306 a of shell 306 in any suitable manner. In this embodiment, thenosepiece 310 includes first and second rails 304 each having arespective nosepiece electrical contact 302 that are attached to therespective guides 304 a. As shown, the rails 304 have a step-up 304 b inthe middle for fitting into the shell 306 having the front portion 306 aand rear portion 306 b. Nosepiece electrical contacts 302 areelectrically connected to optical portion electrical contacts 351 whenthe nosepiece 310 is attached to the optical portion 314. As depicted,the lobes 306 a of shell 306 are disposed on opposite sides of a pocket306 b. Pocket 306 b allows the shell 306 and nosepiece 310 to fit aboutthe inner body (i.e., the block-like feature) that houses optical body320 having the optical interface 121 the when the nosepiece 310 isattached to the optical portion 314. FIGS. 34 and 35 are cross-sectionalviews of plug 100 respectively taken along section lines 34-34 and 35-35as shown in FIG. 23. FIG. 34 depicts a cross-section near the center ofthe longitudinal axis and FIG. 35 depicts a cross-section near themiddle of one of the lobes 306 a. FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view ofthe force centering alignment features of plug 300 along with theoptical interface 121.

FIG. 35 shows the nosepiece electrical contacts 302 in electricalconnection with the optical portion electrical contacts 351 with thenosepiece 310 attached to the optical portion 314. FIG. 36 is aperspective view showing the electrical contacts of the plug andreceptacle in a mated state with the other components of the plug andreceptacle removed for clarity. As shown, nosepiece electrical contacts302 act as a bridge between the optical portion electrical contacts 351to the electrical contacts 430 of receptacle 400.

FIG. 38 is a front perspective view of plug 300 and FIGS. 39 and 40respectively are front and side perspective views of receptacle 400showing explanatory dimensions for the plug 300 and receptacle 400.Regarding plug 300 has a width dimension X_(p) and a total height Y1_(p) and a step-down height Y2 _(p). Any suitable values may be used forplug 300. By way of example and not limitation, plug 300 can have awidth X_(p) in the range of 10-50 millimeters, the total height Y1 _(p)in the range of 2-20 millimeters, and step-down height Y2 _(p) in therange of 1-15 millimeters, but other dimensions are possible. Likewise,any suitable values may be used for receptacle 400. By way of exampleand not limitation, receptacle 400 can have a width X_(R) in the rangeof 10-50 millimeters, the total height Y_(R) in the range of 2-20millimeters, a length of the annular portion L_(R) in the range of 2-10millimeters, and step-down height Y1 _(R) in the range of 1-15millimeters, but other dimensions are possible.

Although the disclosure has been illustrated and described herein withreference to embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that otherembodiments and examples can perform similar functions and/or achievelike results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are withinthe spirit and scope of the disclosure and are intended to be covered bythe appended claims. It will also be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications and variations can be made to theconcepts disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of thesame. Thus, it is intended that the present application cover themodifications and variations provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

We claim:
 1. An optical plug connector, comprising: an optical portionhaving an inner body and an optical body having an optical interface,the inner body having a passageway for receiving the optical body; and anosepiece that fits about part of the optical portion, wherein thenosepiece is removable and replaceable from the optical portion foraccessing the optical interface.
 2. The optical plug connector of claim1, the optical portion further including a housing.
 3. The optical plugconnector of claim 2, the inner body being formed with the housing. 4.An optical receptacle, comprising: a shell; a lens body having anoptical interface with one or more optical channels, wherein the lensbody attaches to the shell.
 5. The optical receptacle of claim 4, thelens body having one or more attachment flanges for securing the lensbody to the shell.
 6. The optical receptacle of claim 4, furtherincluding a receptacle circuit board assembly attached to the lens body.7. The optical receptacle of claim 6, the receptacle circuit boardassembly further including one or more active components.
 8. The opticalreceptacle of claim 4, wherein the lens body has a portion with aU-shape.
 9. The optical receptacle of claim 4, further including acover.
 10. The optical receptacle of claim 4, the lens body includingone or more rails formed therein.
 11. The optical receptacle of claim10, the lens body including one or more electrical contacts on the oneor more rails.
 12. The optical receptacle of claim 4, the lens bodyhaving at least one alignment feature adjacent to the optical interface.13. The optical receptacle of claim, 4, the shell having an open side.14. The optical receptacle of claim 4 being attached to a circuit board.15. The optical receptacle of claim 4 being a portion of an electronicdevice.